Apr 3, 2014

Spicy shrimp with garlic, zucchini noodles, tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon juice – I just inhaled this EASY low-carb, gluten-free, paleo-friendly dish for lunch which took less than 20 minutes to make, start to finish and it was DELICIOUS!

Today it's finally starting to feel like Spring! Before you know it, summer will be here and you know what that means.... bathing suit season! I've been diligent about working out a few times a week, but you know what they say – great abs start in the kitchen and this so true so now that winter is over, I've been cutting back on my carbs (not eliminating, don't worry!) and really making my calories count.

In this dish, rather than using pasta, I swapped it for zucchini noodles. My Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer is my all time FAVORITE cooking gadget. It's the easiest way to make zucchini noodles, sweet potato spirals, carrot ribbons and more! Prior to owning one, I used my mandolin but it's so much quicker and easier (and safer) with this fun gadget – you NEED one!!

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil and crush red pepper flakes, add the shrimp and season with pinch salt and pepper; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add half of the garlic and continue cooking 1 more minute, or until the shrimp is cooked through and opaque. Set aside on a dish.

Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and garlic to the pan, cook 30 seconds then add the zucchini noodles and cook 1 1/2 minutes. Add the shrimp and tomatoes to the pan and squeeze the lemon over the dish. Remove from heat and serve.

I made this this week! Garlic lemon shrimp on top of zoodles. I absolutely love the zucchini noodles, I treat them like pasta and I do not miss it at all.

However your julienne peeler is much nicer... I have a handheld one and I sliced my finger open this week :(

By the way Gina. My office is having a cinco de mayo cook-off, and I've decided to make your jalapeno poppers. There is a prize involved so I want to win! I was thinking of getting up early to make & bake them, then have them reheated in an oven a few hours later around lunch in an oven. Do you think they will hold up their crispiness?

I agree. I don't have the funds for a spiralizer (and didn't know if I would dig zoodles enough to pay that kind of money anyway), so I bought a julienne peeler instead. Love the zoodles. Love the julienne peeler. Love that it was only 9 dollars. :D

I love my Paderno spiral slicer too.. however I did have an "incident" the first time used it... ended up having 5 stitches in my finger tip! So, be careful.. IT BITES! However..the zoodles... ARE THE BEST!!!

I DO need one of these if I plan to grow zucchini this year! Zucchini noodles is one of the only healthy substitutes I can pull on my carb-loving fiance...so it might be time to splurge on another appliance :) Thanks for sharing this!

I know this is a great recipe cause I've made it several times with grilled shrimp and also with grilled scallops! Ever since you introduced me to zucchini noodles, I can't get enough of them! LOL Along with the shrimp, I have added grilled asparagas, peas, julienned carrots! Always delish! Thanks Gina!

I would love a spiralizer, but I have a small kitchen with limited storage. I use a mandoline that I've had for about 20 years, which has a safety guard to use with the veggies, so no accidents (yet) LOL

There's a link in Gina's post. Look at the sentence "My Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer is my all time FAVORITE cooking gadget." Click on the words "Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer" and it takes you to Amazon where you can buy it.

Another hit and drool worthy recipe. I'm a bit of a thrifty person but I really like that spiral making device. How much does it cost? I'll definitely try this one at home. I'm just crossing my fingers on this one, hope I won't burn anything this time. Last time, about a week ago, I tried this delicious recipe I found and stopped half way because the pot holder got burned and also the food. Well, there's a first time for everything, right?

I got my spiralizer at Amazon and it's less than Wms-Sonoma charges. I do love it, but one problem I've had is that the noodles sometimes are too watery. Any ideas on how to overcome this? This recipe looks delicious!

Just ordered this slicer thing using the amazon link you provided.I've never shopped on Amazon cos I'm in Australia and eBay seems to be the easier option. Can't wait to get it in late May!! Zoodles here I come!

I find that these noodles are NOT good 2nd day. When I make a batch, I try to cook just what I need, and save the UNcooked noodles for another time......Once they are cooked they just get too soggy to reheat, in my opinion

I have this spiraler and it works just fine, and probably a lot cheaper than Paderno. http://www.amazon.ca/World-Cuisine-Tri-Blade-Plastic-Vegetable/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396612577&sr=8-1&keywords=spiral+vegetable+slicer

This looks yummy - thanks, Gina! I was just shopping online for a spiralizer yesterday, so I will have to christen it with this recipe when it arrives. (I have been using a julienne peeler to make my zoodles and it's not as easy or pretty!) And not to mess with your recipe, Gina, but a tip for those who don't like to cut carbs out completely (as my husband, who isn't completely sold on the zucchini-as-noodle idea) - I have added in a small amount of whole wheat or Barilla Plus (GF might even work) spaghetti to my zoodle recipes. You basically want the cooked amount to be less than or equal to the amount of zoodles, so you have to eyeball it until you get used to the correct portioning. e.g., for one large zucchini, I would use about 1/8 box of spaghetti. If the zucchini is short in length, break the pasta in half before cooking. Sorry I don't have nutritional info for this but that's not my thing - just portion it out wisely and you'll be fine.

I have a Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler that works just as well as a spiralizer, and takes up much less room! and costs a lot less too! I make this dish often and my family loves it! I like use 3 of these: zucchini, yellow squash, carrots or sweet potatoes together to make it colorful and interesting!

I'm loving all these carb free and paleo posts because of the variety, but I'm getting worried that you haven't really posted more 'normal' recipes for a while. I love this site because it offers recipes for stuff I would eat everyday, just lightened up.

Nope, I could never go completely non-carb, I just like to cut back. In fact I just posted fish sticks with breadcrumbs yesterday, and those have carbs. I love everything in moderation, and although I had this for lunch, I also had rice with dinner.

I don't usually respond to blogs, but my daughter has bragged about your site, so I decided to finally check it out and I am soooo happy I did. I am a Weight Watcher member, so I really appreciate you have taken the time to figure out the points; I have made a recipe from your site all week and have enjoyed them all. You have really inspired me to try out new dishes. I ran out today and purchased the spiral vegetable cutter and made the recipe you featured. All I can say is OMG! This was an awesome recipe and the entire family loved it; I also love my new kitchen gadget and so does my grown daughters. I had them make the dish and they also loved the dish. Thank you for sharing your talent. I am now a huge fan. When you complete your cookbook I will be in line to purchase. T.Palm

Looks really delicious, I'm definitely want to try this. If you want to save money, I found a cheaper version that does spiraling for vegetables: http://www.taylorgifts.com/item/veggetti/39908. I'm not sure how well it works but it might be worth a try!

I just got the same spiralizer! I like it, but the wasted core makes me a bit sad. I love doing it when the rest of the family is having spaghetti - it's super quick to whiz a zucchini through the spiralizer, and then I can enjoy the same delicious meal as the rest of my family, for a fraction of the calories. Win-win!

Made this for dinner tonight. It was awesome! Mine wasn't as pretty as yours, but with a little practice with my new kitchen gadget, will help. I added bean sprouts, which was great. Next time, I'll try it with chicken and snow peas. And, experiment with different seasoning, and flavorings. The possibilities are endless. Thanks for another great recipe, Gina!

Totally loving this combo! I had actually considered doing something similar a while back. I actually have a recipe I just finished taking pictures of this morning thats a fairly similar to this but with a more spring/summer twist.

I noticed Amazon says 2-4 weeks just to ship the slicer. I would expect that kind of delivery time only from a mail order catalog that showed up with the rest of my junk mail. I found it at Williams-Sonoma for the same exact price, except I can just go pick it up!

I make zucchini noodles all the time, and for those of you that are having problems with wateriness it really helps to sprinkle generously with salt, toss and let "sweat" in a colander for 20-30 minutes while you do something else. I usually will give it a few press downs with a paper towel while the colander sits over a bowl. This extracts a lot of water that you can just dump out. I give mine a good rinse in cold water to get rid of the salt, one more quick pat down with paper towel and add to a hot skillet with a little coconut oil. You'll be surprised at how much water the salt draws out.

Thanks for this tip! I'll do this next time I make the noodles. I've discovered that I can make the noodles, put them in a colander over a dish, and they will keep a day in the fridge. Not much water comes out, though, so I'll do what you do with salt. I served them last night as a side dish to fish. I sautéed onion, added a can of RoTel mild tomatoes, tossed in the noodles, and topped with a little 2% grated cheddar cheese. My husband didn't like them until I added the cheese and then he loved them. So fun to find new ways to incorporate them into our meals.

I got the GEFU spiralizer from bed bath and beyond and it does the same job. There is also no possibility of slicing your fingers with this one unless you are intentionally putting you fingers into the tunnel to see how sharp the blades are. I am making this recipe at the moment -- can't wait to try it.

This looks great! I have a small handheld spiralizer, but it only works for cylindrical veggies (carrots, zucchini...). Does anyone with experience with the Paderno spiralizer know if it works for veggies of all shapes.... sweet potato, jicima, etc?

So what do you do with the big long piece that comes out at the top? The one that is a straight columb-not curly? Or am I just looking at it wrong. I looked at a video of this on WilliamSonoma and saw that piece as well. They sort of hid it in the video. Is this a 'core'? Hm.

Looks like it. Eat it! It's still part of the fruit/veg you just spiraled, so unless it's made up of just seeds (like apple core), I'm sure it would still be good to eat. It's not like tastless pulp left from juicing. Some probably pitch it,compost it, or feed it to their animals.

Gina, I received my spiralizer two days ago and made this dish. It was so good. Zoodles are my new noodles! Can't wait to try other vegetables! I was leary to serve them to my husband, so I cooked pasta for him. He tried the zoodles and liked it!

Just got my Paderno spiralizer from Amazon. Made this for lunch today and it was AMAZING. My husband couldn't believe it wasn't pasta. He loved it. I think the secret is to let the zoodles weep a bit (with salt) and to also be generous with the garlic, lemon and red pepper flake. My husband LOVED how spicy it was. Major winner here!!!!!

I just bought the paderno spiralizer on Amazon, and got to try it out yesterday for the first time with this dish. SO good! My boyfriend and I both loved it so much. It was also my first time cooking shrimp - success! So flavorful and surprisingly filling. Bad news is that I think I'm addicted to spiralizing now.

Love this recipe!! I'm always looking for ways to eat healthier, which is hard with my meat and carb loving boyfriend, who doesn't care for vegetables. I made this for dinner last night and we both loved it!! Will definitely make this again soon. Thanks Gina! :)

My zoodeler came in last week and last night I finally had time to try it out. So quick and easy. I made the dish and loved it. Planning on the greek cucumber tonight. I really could not get over how easy it was to make. Will be a go to fast meal for future use.

Spiralizer is absolutely theeee best buy of last months - I have been using it regularly and am very very happy with it. I have to try the shrimp recipe, sounds delish and sooo easy - thanks for sharing :)

Just got up from the table after feasting on your recipe. Delicious! I used a mandolin slicer. After reading all the comments, though, I might just have to put that spiralizer on my wish list. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

Stupid question.....I just got my spiralizer and gave it a whirl. I ended up with ribbons more than anything resembling a noodle. which blade am I supposed to use for the noodles? I don't really need another pile of ribbons or other cut zucchini right now.

Your website is the best thing that has ever happened to me! And I have a fantastic husband and three perfectly wonderful children. Lol. I am a carb addict, and this dish was exactly what I would have normally made with pasta. I did not feel like I missed out by having this, and for 235 calories I am STUFFED! A little chocolate covered banana popsicle for dessert and I'm the happiest person. You are my new best friend. (Sorry Deanna).

Just got my new spiralizer on Friday...plan to make this for dinner tonight. You don't say what blade to use...but it looks like it's the smallest one? Hubby is not a big veggie fan so I'm hoping this is a big hit!

I've used my Spiralizer for months now and it took a few "trial and error" attempts to find what works for us. I spiralize with the middle blade usually (either will work) and do this ahead of time. For zucchini, I make the noodles and then store them in a plastic bag in the fridge with a paper towel to absorb moisture. They'll keep for several days. Just before serving, I'll heat each individual serving in the microwave for 60-45 seconds... only to heat. (When I've sautéed them, they release too much moisture and get soggy.) Then, I add whatever sauce I'm using. Since doing this way, my husband asks for them, too. I use on top just about anything we have and they work - even a quesadilla bake casserole I make. Great filler and way to cut down on carbs and get extra veggies.

Got my spiralizer last Friday and made this last night for dinner. My "zoodles" weren't perfect...but looked pretty good...and will get better with practice. This dish was delish. Even my husband (who is NOT a veggie fan!) cleaned his plate. And so quick and easy! This will be on my go-to dinners list.

Hi Gina! How do you keep the zucchini from being soggy? Mine was soggy the moment that I spiralized it? How do you handle using it the next day to take as a lunch to work that has a sauce? do you separate them?

Was your zucchini fresh? I spiralize mine, let rest them on paper towels (which drains some of the water out of them), and store them in a zip lock, partially opened, with dry, new paper towels in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. They seems to work better after a day or two or three in the fridge. Don't cook them too long as that will make them soggy. Don't give up. After a few times, you'll get the hang of it. (I hope you don't mind me responding to your questions for Gina, but I love my spiralizer and have "zoodles" every week.)

Hi Beth, thank you for your reply. Yes, they were fresh. They had been in the refrigerator a couple of days. They ultimately turned out ok after I cooked them but when I first spiraled them was surprised at how mis they were. Do you know if instead of sautéing them, they can be baked too?

I haven't tried baking them. I usually heat them in the microwave just until hot, no more than a minute or so, and toss them into whatever dish I'm having or use them as a base.. If it's spaghetti, I'll make a base of "zoodles", add spaghetti noodles on top (more for my husband, only a few for me), and pour sauce on top. I might leave them out for me and have both for him. He's beginning to ask for zucchini noodles now.As for baking them, Gina would know better than I would. If you do try baking them, please post and let me know.